How do you take complex philosophical ideas and make them resonate beyond the lecture theatre? That’s the challenge tackled by third-year students on the University of Nottingham’s Communicating Philosophy module. Their showcase proves they’re more than up to the task.
Led by Dr Karl Egerton, the Communicating Philosophy module invites students to explore two cutting-edge topics:
- Transformative Experiences and Decision-Making
- Gamification and Social Media
Drawing on the work of philosophers L.A. Paul, C. Thi Nguyen, Karl Egerton and others, students were encouraged to think critically about how we make choices and how digital platforms shape our values.
Philosophy meets creativity
Throughout the semester, students were tasked with translating ideas into applications. From lesson plans and charity campaigns to creative writing and social media strategies, the showcase presents a diverse range of formats and voices.
Students were challenged to communicate ideas relating to the topics in a range of professional settings, with guidance from guest speakers from within and outside the university.
The topics
Communication and teaching
Communication and social media
Communication and posters
Communication and the law
Communication and speaking
Communication and postgraduate study
Communication and charities
Communication and creative writing
Here we have provided a snapshot of a few of the student projects, the full showcase can be accessed in this presentation.
Communicating and social media
One project that covered the topic of ‘Communication and social media’ challenged students to write either a blog post or create a thread on the X platform promoting a debate event about social media and gamification.
Excellent responses to this task managed to:
Nicely balance text and image
Use the debate format to engage readers
Effectively compress ideas into digestible portions
Communication and teaching
Another standout project involved designing a lesson plan to teach transformative experiences to year 11 pupils. Students utilised storytelling, interactive activities and relatable scenarios to make abstract ideas more accessible, demonstrating how philosophy can empower decision-making at any age.
The best attempts at this project were able to:
- Write learning objectives that were inclusive of many levels
- Use real-life examples to spark discussion
- Encourage creativity through innovative homework tasks
Philosophy with purpose
The showcase is a testament to how philosophy can engage with the world, not just through debate, but through design, storytelling and outreach. Students refined their communication skills and took their philosophical skills into new settings, responding to new challenges with bold, thoughtful work that pushed boundaries. Whether it’s helping someone make a life-changing decision or rethinking our relationship with technology, the students proved that philosophy has something vital to say.
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